


let the records play.

by porcelainsimplicity



Series: stereo hearts. [2]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - America, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-07-28 19:48:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16248623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/porcelainsimplicity/pseuds/porcelainsimplicity
Summary: needing the feeling, he lets the records play.or: Rey's friends find out about Ben.





	let the records play.

Rey ran down the street, apologizing to people she bumped into as she passed them, glancing at her watch every few seconds. She was late for her shift, and it was all Ben's fault, and Finn was going to be furious, and she really didn't want to have to confess that she had a new boyfriend. She loved the guys that she worked with, she really did, but they were entirely too interested in her personal life. She reached the shop and stopped in front of the door, taking a deep breath before opening the door and walking in.

Finn was across the room helping someone look through the bins in the French DJs section, but that didn't stop him from turning around and giving Rey a dirty look as she walked towards the counter. Rey walked behind the counter and took off her jacket, tossing it onto the chair and smiling as someone walked up to the counter. She quickly rang up the sale and sent them on their way, then took care of writing the sale down in the book and making sure to put Finn's name on there instead of hers, because Finn was mad already, and he'd be even more furious if Rey started taking commissions away from him.

Rey was especially glad she'd not done that when the girl that Finn had been helping walked out of the shop without buying anything, and Finn came stalking over to the counter, eyes narrowed in on her.

“I didn't steal your commission,” Rey said quickly.

“You better not have,” Finn said, grabbing the book nonetheless and making sure. “Where you been? You were supposed to be here over an hour ago.”

“I got held up,” Rey said, biting her tongue to forcibly stop herself from finishing that sentence with by Ben, against the wall. “Sorry.”

Finn put the book down and turned towards Rey, his eyes scanning over her before a smirk settled on his features. “You got laid again.”

Rey inwardly cursed. “No I didn't.”

“You can't lie to me, Rey. Besides, the hickeys on your neck say otherwise.”

The hickeys on her neck? Rey quickly spun around and got a good look at herself in the mirrored wall behind the counter, her eyes widening when she saw several bruises marring the skin of her neck. “Dammit, Ben,” she murmured, immediately regretting saying that aloud.

“Oh, so you know the guy's name?” Finn was practically bouncing from excitement. “That means this has been more than one night, because you can never remember the names of your one night stands.”

Rey turned towards the chair and slung her jacket around the back before collapsing down into it. “Shut up, Finn.”

“No way,” Finn said, shaking his head. “Nothing is going to get you out of this one.”

Rey ran her hands over her face and tried to think of something she could say that could placate Finn and Rose and Poe, because she knew that the other two were going to be texted about this situation the first chance Finn got. “We've gone on a few dates,” she said casually. “It's nothing all that serious.”

“Serious enough that you let him fuck you after a few dates,” Finn pointed out, and it just added to the misery Rey was feeling for lying about what it was she had with Ben, because it was a lot more than a few dates and was definitely something serious. “Come on, Rey, don't lie to me.”

Rey got a reprieve when a group of kids walked into the store, and since Finn had gotten the last commission, that meant it was her turn. She quickly got up and walked over to help them, spending far more time than necessary trying to decipher what section some band called Belle & Sebastian would be under even though she knew full well that they were in Scottish indie pop section. By the time she was done finding each of the kids what it was they were looking for, Finn was busy with another customer, and Rey said a silent thanks to any and all gods that existed that she had gotten out of the awkward conversation.

*****

“So what's this I hear about a boyfriend,” Rose said as soon as she walked through the door, prompting Rey to wish that the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

“Finn needs to keep his mouth shut,” Rey murmured, going through one of the bins in the German punk section and making sure they were in alphabetical order. “Can't you do something about that?”

“You think I'm capable of keeping Finn on a leash?” Rose laughed as she slung an arm over Rey's shoulders. “I think you need a reality check, Rey. You're clearly living in the clouds.”

Rey sighed and shrugged Rose's arm off of her. “You two are so happy and domesticated it's sick, thank you very much. If anyone can control him, it's you.”

“For the nine hundred millionth time, Finn and I are not dating.”

“Sure you're not.”

Rose stalked off towards the counter then, and Rey sighed in relief. She continued going through the bins until Poe showed up, and then she grabbed her jacket and was out of there before Poe could say anything more than hello.

*****

Rey jogged up the stairs of her building instead of taking the elevator, and when she reached the eleventh floor, she walked out into the hallway to find Ben leaning up against her apartment door...and Finn standing there talking to him.

“Finn, what the fuck?”

Finn just shook his head. “Do you think I could not see through that whole act this morning? Come on, Rey, give me more credit than that. I came over to meet Ben, of course.”

Ben laughed as Rey seethed, and then he turned that brilliant smile of his towards Rey, and she couldn't help the fact that it maybe really affected her far more than she was ever willing to let on. “Finn's great, Rey. It's alright.”

Rey stalked down the hallway and grabbed Finn by the arm, pulling him towards the elevator. “Goodbye, Finn.”

“Alright, alright, fine,” Finn said, pulling his arm away from Rey's grasp and stopping to turn back towards Ben. “Make sure you're there tomorrow night, Ben. Everyone else is going to want to meet you.”

“Goodbye, Finn,” Rey growled out, and Finn quickly ducked into the elevator with one last wave in Ben's direction.

When the elevator doors were closed, Rey turned back towards Ben with a confused look on her face. “What was that all about?”

“He invited me to drinks with you and your friends tomorrow,” Ben said, leaning up against the wall. “Why didn't you do that, Rey?”

Rey looked around the hallway before nodding towards the door. “Inside?”

“Fine,” Ben said, opening the door and walking into the apartment. “Am I not good enough for your friends or something?”

“It's not that,” Rey said, shutting the door behind her and taking off her jacket. “It's that once they know I have a boyfriend, we're never left alone. And I was enjoying having you all to myself.”

“Ah,” Ben said, backing Rey up against the door and kissing her softly. “I see.”

“I was gonna tell them eventually,” Rey murmured against Ben's lips. “I swear.”

“I believe you,” Ben said, pulling back slightly. “But I'm still going tomorrow night.”

“Fine,” Rey said, sliding her arms around Ben's waist. “I had a long day. I had to deal with entirely too many teenagers wanting the new Justin Bieber record on vinyl. I'm not even sure it's available on vinyl.”

“Poor you,” Ben said, pulling Rey away from the door and walking backwards into the apartment. “I think I might know something that could make it better.”

“Is that so?”

“Close your eyes,” Ben said, breaking away from Rey's embrace and walking away from her. “And keep them closed.”

Rey did as she was told. “Does this involve you naked in my bed? 'Cause that would definitely help.”

“Perhaps later,” Ben said. “Open your eyes.”

Rey opened them and found Ben standing there in front of her, holding David Bowie's _Space Oddity_ in his hands, and Rey's jaw dropped. “How did you know?”

“It's the only one of his records you don't have,” Ben said, holding out the record for Rey to take. “So I started looking for it whenever I go browsing record shops, and I found it earlier today over in Queens.”

Rey stared at the record for a moment before launching herself forward and kissing Ben soundly. “Thank you, Ben. This is amazing.”

“The least I could do. You want to listen to it?”

“Yeah!” Rey exclaimed, letting go of Ben and walking towards the record player, pulling the vinyl from its sheath and setting it carefully onto the player. Once the music started, she grabbed Ben and pulled him down onto the sofa, and they laid there in a pile of tangled limbs as the record played on.

*****

She brought Ben with her to meet up with everyone for drinks the following night, and Finn and Rose and Poe made all kinds of fun of her, and they told so many embarrassing stories that Rey was seriously thinking about hiding under the table to keep her sanity. But Ben still went home with her that night, and he was still there the next morning, and Rey started thinking that maybe Ben was more than just someone to keep for a little while. Maybe he was someone to keep for a long while. 


End file.
